Rod-making machines

ABSTRACT

A ledger for a rod-making machine, especially a cigarette or filter making machine, comprises two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes and a connecting member which is pivotally connected to both of the rotary members and carries a rod support which supports the rod during each cutting stroke.

United States Patent Labee et a1.

ROD-MAKING MACHINES Inventors: Francis A. M. Labee,

Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France; Edward George Preston, London, England; Paul Dingli, London, England; Ivan Y. Hirsh, London, England; Derek Henry Dyett, London, England Assignee: Molins Limited, London, England Filed: on. 19, 1971 Appl. No.: 190,495

US. Cl 83/310, 83/438, 83/926 C,

131/65 Int. Cl. 826d 1/56 Field of Search 83/310, 438, 926 C;

131/63, 65 146/95, DIG. 1

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Chandler l46/DIG. l

[451 Sept. 25, 1973 1,977,986 10/1934 Chandler 146/95 1,721,117 7/1929 Hopkins 131/65 3,521,513 7/1970 Gomann et al. 83/310 Primary ExaminerAndrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner.lames F. Coan Attorney-Markva & Smith 5 7 ABSTRACT A ledger for a rod-making machine, especially a cigarette or filter making machine, comprises two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes and a connecting member which is pivotally connected to both of the rotary members and carries a rod support which supports the rod during each cutting stroke.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures ROD-MAKING MACHINES This invention is concerned with rod-making machines, especially machines for making cigarettes and cigarette filter rods, in which a continuous rod is cut into short rod sections while moving axially.

While the continuous rod is being cut, it is commonly supported by a reciprocating ledger. The present invention is concerned with improvements in a form of ledger comprising basically two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes and a connecting member which is pivotally connected to both of the rotary members and carries a rod support which supports the rod during each cutting stroke.

Examples of ledgers according to this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view, showing the basic principle of a ledger according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a ledger;

FIG. 3 is a section on the line VIVI in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a section on the line VII-VII in FIG. 2.

For convenience, in the description and claims, the ledger is described in terms of the rotary members having horizontal axes of rotation, but it should be understood that the axes of rotation could both be inclined to the horizontal.

As shown in FIG. 1, a ledger according to this invention may comprise basically two wheels 2 and 4 which are driven by parallel horizontal shafts 6 and 8 at the same speed, and a connecting member 10 which is pivoted at opposite ends to the wheels 2 and 4 by pivot pins 12 and 14 and carries a rod support 16 of U- shaped cross-section to engage the underneath surface of the rod. The support 16 has a transverse slot 18 through which a knife 19 passes to cut the rod 20 while the rod support 16 is supporting the rod. It will be understood that the rod support 16 moves along a circular path while maintaining its orientation with respect to the rod 20. Along the top of its path of movement it supports the rod during cutting.

The pivot pins 12 and 14 are fixed to slidable blocks 22 and 24 which are located in grooves 26 and 28 formed in the wheels 2 and 4. Thus the distance of each pivot pin from the axis of the wheel can -be adjusted. This adjustment may for example be achieved by mounting on each wheel a captive screw which extends radially along the groove and passes through a correspondingly threaded bore in the associated block 22 or 24. Thus rotation of each screw moves the associated block along the groove. During use each pivot pin is set at the same distance from the shaft 6 or 8. Thus the length of the rod sections cut from the continuous rod can be adjusted, since the rod section length depends upon the crank radius (i.e. the distance of the pivot pins from the axes of rotation), being equal to 217 times the pivot pin radius. The rod section length may, for example, be adjustable over a range of 45 mm to 150 mm.

In orderto arrange that the top position of the rod support 16 is always immediately below the cigarette or filter rod 20, the shafts 6 and 8 may be carried by a member which is vertically adjustable. Alternatively, adjustment may in principle be achieved by using a variable amount of packing 30 between the rod support 16 and the member 10. FIG. 1 shows a relatively thick packing piece 30. A thinner packing piece is used if the crank radius of the pivot pins is increased to increase the rod section length. Alternatively, if shorter rod sections are needed, the blocks 22 and 24 can be screwed radially further towards the shafts 6 and 8, and a thicker packing piece can be used in place of the packing piece 30 to return the top position of the rod support 16 to the desired level.

The knife 19 may be in the form of a part of a helix on a rotary member which is inclined to .the rod 20 so that the knife always lies at right angles to the rod 20 while it is cutting.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show a more detailed design of a ledger which is basically similar to that shown in FIG. 1 in that it includes two wheels 40 and 42 which carry a connecting member 44 pivotally connected to both wheels. However, it should be noted that in this example the rod support 46, which supports a rod 47 during cutting, is mounted on one end of the connecting member 44 adjacent to the wheel 42. A further basic difference is that the wheels 40 and 42 lie on opposite sides of the connecting member 44. The wheel 42 is at a permanetly higher level than the wheel 40 to allow the rod 47 to pass above the wheel 40.

A ledger drive shaft 48 projects out of the front face 50 of a rod making machine, for example a cigarette or filter making'machine. The shaft 48 projects out of the base and carries the wheel 40 in cantilever fashion; it also carries a gear wheel 52 which meshes with a gear wheel 54, both gear wheels being housed within a base 56 including a flange 56A by which the base is secured to the machine body by studs 58. It should be noted that the studs 58 pass through curved slots 60 in the flange 56A so that the base part 56 can be rotated slightly about the axis of the drive shaft 48.

The gear wheel 54 drives an intermediate shaft 62 which carries a further gear wheel 64 meshing with a gear wheel 66 on a shaft 68 connected to the wheel 42. The gear wheels 64 and 66 are mounted within a housing 70 from which the shaft 68 projects to carry the wheel 42 in cantilever fashion, the housing 70 itself being carried by a tubular part 72 connected to the base 56; it will be seen that the intermediate shaft 62 extends through the tubular part 72, which is cut away where necessary to allow clearance for the wheel 40 and connecting member 44.

At each end of the connecting member 44 there is a pivot pin 74 by which the connecting member is pivotally connected to a body 76 carried by the corresponding wheels 40 or 42. The bodies 76 on the two wheels are similar but face in opposite directions.

Each body 76 has a thick semi-circular part 76A (FIG. 3) which lies on the side of the wheel axis remote from the pivot pin 74 and serves as a balance weight, and has thinner parts 763 lying on opposite sides of a thick radial portion 76C. Two studs 78 pass through the thick part 76A, and two studs 80 pass through the thin parts 763, to secure the body 76 to the wheel; it will be seen that the studs pass through parallel slots 82 in the body 76 to allow radial adjustment of the body with respect to the wheel. A captive adjustment screw 84 passes through flanges 42A and 42B on each wheel (FIG. 4) and is in threaded engagement with a radial portion 76D of the body 76; thus rotation of the screw 84 changes the radial position of the pin 74. The screw is kept in position by a nut 86 which is secured against rotation on the screw by a split pin 87. The exact crank radius (i.e. the distance between the axis of the pin 74 and the axis of the wheel) is determined by means of a removable slip gauge 85 which is used to set the distance between a surface of the body 76 and a part of the flange 42A.

It should be understood that lines joining the wheel axis and pivot pin axis on the respective wheels are parallel.

When the crank radius of thepins 74 is adjusted to change the rod length, the height of the rod support 46 is altered, as necessary, by loosening the studs 58 and rotating the base 56 in the appropriate direction about the shaft 48 to raise or lower the wheel 42. The orientation of the rod support 46 is thus changed but is restored by loosening small studs 88 by which the support 46 is secured to the end of the connecting part 44; the part 46 can then be rotated slightly about an axis coinciding with the axis of the adjoining pivot pin 74. It will be understood that a flange 46A on the support 46 which is engaged by the studs 88 has appropriately curved slots through which the studs 88 pass to allow the support 46 to be rotated slightly.

We claim:

1. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes an elongated connecting member which is pivotally connected adjacent opposite ends thereof to both of the rotary members and a rod support mounted on said connecting member at a position adjacent one of its ends for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke.

2. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes, each rotary member including a radially slidable part, a connecting member pivotally connected to both of said radially slidable parts and a rod support mounted on said connecting member adjacent one end thereof for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke, said radially slidable parts being adjustable to vary the radial distance of the pivotal connections from the axes of rotation of said rotary members to suit various rod lengths.

3. A ledger according to claim 2 in which each radially slidable part is adjustable by means of a captive screw.

4. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes, a connecting member pivotally connected to both of the rotary members, and a rod support, mounted on said connecting member adjacent one end thereof for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke and means mounting said rotary members and rotatable about an adjustment axis coinciding with, or near and parallel to, the axis of the rotary member which is pivotally connected to the end of the connecting member remote from the rod support, whereby the height of the rod support can be altered by rotating the structure about the adjustment axis.

5. A ledger according to claim 4 in which the rod support can be rotated slightly relative to the connecting member about an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the rotary members to adjust the orientation of the rod support.

6. A ledger according to claim 1 in which the rotary members lie on opposite sides of a vertical plane containing the connecting member.

7. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes, a connecting member pivotally connected to both of the rotary members, and a rod support, mounted on said connecting member adjacent one end thereof, for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke, the rotary member pivotally connected to the end of the connecting member remote from the rod support being lower than the other rotary member so as to lie below the rod during use.

8. A ledger for a rod-making machine comprising a support structure; two rotary members carried by the support structure and geared together so as to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes; an input shaft for driving the two rotary members; a connecting member which is pivotally connected to radially adjustable parts on both rotary members about pivot axes which are at the same distance from the axes of rotation of the respective rotary members, the four axes being at all times at the four comers of a parallelogram so that the connecting member stays in the same orientation while the rotary members rotate; and a rod support which is carried by the connecting member and has a U-shaped cross-section for engaging partly round the underside of the rod to support the rod during each cut, and including a transverse slot for receiving a knife during cutting; the support structure being adjustable in position about the axis of the input shaft to vary the height of the rod support.

9. A ledger for a rod-making machine, comprising a support structure; two rotary members carried by the support structure; gear means operatively connected to each rotary member for positively driving the rotary members at the same speed and in the same direction about parallel axes, the rotary members being on opposite sides ofa central plane normal to the axes of rotation; a pivot pin on each rotary member having an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the rotary members, each pivot pin extending from the respective rotary member and towards the said central plane; a connecting member lying substantially in the said central plane and having its opposite ends pivotally connected to the respective rotary members by means of the respective pivot pins; and a rod support mounted on the connecting member.

10. A ledger according to claim 1 further comprising drive means operatively connected to each rotary member for positively driving the rotary members at the same speed and in the same direction. 

1. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes an elongated connecting member which is pivotally connected adjacent opposite ends thereof to both of the rotary members and a rod support mounted on said connecting member at a position adjacent one of its ends for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke.
 2. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes, each rotary member including a radially slidable part, a connecting member pivotally connected to both of said radially slidable parts and a rod support mounted on said connecting member adjacent one end thereof for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke, said radially slidable parts being adjustable to vary the radial distance of the pivotal connections from the axes of rotation of said rotary members to suit various rod lengths.
 3. A ledger according to claim 2 in which each radially slidable part is adjustable by means of a captive screw.
 4. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes, a connecting member pivotally connected to both of the rotary members, and a rod support, mounted on said connecting member adjacent one end thereof for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke and means mounting said rotary members and rotatable about an adjustment axis coinciding with, or near and parallel to, the axis of the rotary member which is pivotally connected to the end of the connecting member remote from the rod support, whereby the height of the rod support can be altered by rotating the structure about the adjustment axis.
 5. A ledger according to claim 4 in which the rod support can be rotated slightly relative to the connecting member about an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the rotary members to adjust the orientation of the rod support.
 6. A ledger according to claim 1 in which the rotary members lie on opposite sides of a vertical plane containing the connecting member.
 7. A ledger for a rod making machine, comprising two rotary members arranged to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes, a connecting member pivotally connected to both of the rotary members, and a rod support, mounted on said connecting member adjacent one end thereof, for supporting the rod during each cutting stroke, the rotary member pivotally connected to the end of the connecting member remote from the rod support being lower than the other rotary member so as to lie below the rod during use.
 8. A ledger for a rod-making machine comprising a support structure; two rotary members carried by the support structure and geared together so as to rotate at the same speed about parallel axes; an input shaft for driving the two rotary members; a connecting member which is pivotally connected to radially adjustable parts on both rotary members about pivot axes which are At the same distance from the axes of rotation of the respective rotary members, the four axes being at all times at the four corners of a parallelogram so that the connecting member stays in the same orientation while the rotary members rotate; and a rod support which is carried by the connecting member and has a U-shaped cross-section for engaging partly round the underside of the rod to support the rod during each cut, and including a transverse slot for receiving a knife during cutting; the support structure being adjustable in position about the axis of the input shaft to vary the height of the rod support.
 9. A ledger for a rod-making machine, comprising a support structure; two rotary members carried by the support structure; gear means operatively connected to each rotary member for positively driving the rotary members at the same speed and in the same direction about parallel axes, the rotary members being on opposite sides of a central plane normal to the axes of rotation; a pivot pin on each rotary member having an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the rotary members, each pivot pin extending from the respective rotary member and towards the said central plane; a connecting member lying substantially in the said central plane and having its opposite ends pivotally connected to the respective rotary members by means of the respective pivot pins; and a rod support mounted on the connecting member.
 10. A ledger according to claim 1 further comprising drive means operatively connected to each rotary member for positively driving the rotary members at the same speed and in the same direction. 